Marius Reyes

“Imigrante: Immigrant in English, celebration in its most raw and understated form is the ability to grasp opportunity. I moved from the Philippines at 4 years old and have lived here for 15 years now. My story is the prototypical immigrant journey, and for that I can only owe my parents. Two weeks before this project started, my father came back from a trip to the Philippines as my grandmother had passed away. This led to a conversation about the first gen immigrant experience and, with each year, each anecdote, where I piece together the fragments of my parents’ lives. Not completely knowing who they were before me, only materializing to both my sister and I the moment we were born.

I will continue to be thankful, in awe of them for sacrificing familiarity of environment and familial support. All in the hopes of providing opportunities which they didn’t have. Dreams in relation to practicality don’t exist, not to view. Asia is homogeneous, but it’s an unfortunate fact where career will take precedence over personal desire. With Resene Blackberry, I looked at it, and instinctively thought of the maroon hues of the Philippine passport.

Celebration of opportunity, celebration of the immigrant experience, celebration for us. I want to pay homage to traditional Filipino garments such as the Filipiniana or barong, applying the relaxed silhouettes of pre and post-colonial Filipino clothing. Instead of focusing on a singular garment, I want to gather aspects of each of these items and make them wearable in an androgynous modern setting.”

Resene Whitecliffe Colour of Fashion clothing - 2023

Photography by Jonathan Kraettli

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